Disclaimer: this was made for a bit of fun and information; there’s no atomic science behind our periodic table except a bit of high/low pressure!
Espresso
Espresso coffee is the life of coffee culture in most of the world; with the proliferation of Starbucks and other chains like it, espresso coffee is available almost everywhere. It is quite often linked to Italian heritage, with the majority of espresso machines spruiking Italian design and names. Espresso is incredibly simple; machines generally operating between 5-9psi to push hot water through a portafilter, or basket, containing the finely ground coffee beans. This high pressure helps to produce the ‘crema’ which espresso is most known for.
Given Espresso is available on almost every corner, finding great coffee amongst the hundreds of options can be tricky – you can find great coffee anywhere in the world using brewstr.
Aeropress
A relatively new invention for coffee enthusiasts, the Aeropress allows you to brew a cup of coffee almost anywhere, provided you have a source of hot water. The Aeropress also works by pressurizing the water through the coffee grinds, with back pressure supplied by a paper filter. The Aeropress is great for travelling, and can produce a great cup of coffee, albeit at the expense of a rich crema.
Moka Pot
The Moka pot is a staple in many European homes; used over a stovetop or fire, the moka pot generates steam inside the lower chamber, which forces the hot water up through the coffee grounds, with the coffee running into a collection chamber at the top of the moka pot. The result is similar to espresso. Moka pots are available in different sizes, catering to 1-2 cups, to many cups.
Vietnamese Phin
Next time you visit a Vietnamese restaurant, take note of their Vietnamese coffee option; this little contraption looks like a dripper placed on top of a coffee cup, however it generates a tiny amount of pressure in part to it having a lid.
French Press
Often called ‘plunger coffee’, the French Press is usually a glass vessel with a ‘plunger’ inside which is moved up and down to infuse the coffee. The secret to a good French Press is in the coffee grind.
Instant Coffee
We don’t even want to talk about this one… But it’s important because we probably all started with instant coffee; it’s still a staple in many households, due to it’s very quick nature; just scoop it into your cup and add hot water. Instant coffee is actually coffee that has been dried out and/or turned into crystals or powder.
Coffee Bags
Similar to tea bags, coffee bags contain ground coffee, and are then brewed in your cup with hot water. To lock in the freshness of the ground coffee, coffee bags are generally sealed with nitrogen.
Turkish Coffee
Brewed in a special pot called a cezve or ibrik, Turkish coffee is an unfiltered coffee made with very finely ground coffee. The result is a thicker coffee with very find grains mixed in. The tricky part to making Turkish coffee is getting the temperature just right; you can quickly boil the water and burn the coffee in a matter of seconds, so great care must be taken to get it right. Turkish coffee is often brewed with a small amount of sugar.
Cowboy Coffee
Similar to Turkish coffee, cowboy coffee is typically brewed in any type of vessel over a fire, such as a used tin, or ‘billy can’.
Percolator
Common in America and around the world, coffee percolators drip hot water over a filter containing ground coffee and is gravity fed.
Hario V60
The Hario V60 is a specially designed filter vessel to be used for gravity fed drip coffee. Hot water is poured over the coffee grinds, firstly to ‘bloom’ the coffee, allowing for gases to escape, and then brewed by pouring over the remaining hot water. Like the Beehive and Chemex below, pour over is an artform and alot of the perfection can be derived from grinding the beans ‘perfectly’ and pouring the water just right.
Don’t want to brew it yourself? Find coffee shops that do pour over coffee
Beehive Dripper
The Beehive Dripper is another specially designed filter vessel to be used for gravity fed drip coffee, similar to the V60. Hot water is poured over the coffee grinds, firstly to ‘bloom’ the coffee, allowing for gases to escape, and then brewed by pouring over the remaining hot water.
Don’t want to brew it yourself? Find coffee shops that do pour over coffee
Chemex
Chemex is another specially designed filter vessel to be used for gravity fed drip coffee, similar to the V60. Where the Chemex differs, is that the collection vessel and the filter are one item, unlike the Beehive and V60 which are placed over a collection vessel. Again, hot water is poured over the coffee grinds, firstly to ‘bloom’ the coffee, allowing for gases to escape, and then brewed by pouring over the remaining hot water.
Don’t want to brew it yourself? Find coffee shops that do pour over coffee
Filter Coffee
Pour over coffee is a type of filtered coffee and these all work off similar principles of titration through a paper based filter. Non-paper filters are also available.
Drip Coffee
Drip coffee is similarly a type of filtered coffee. Some drippers are setup resembling elaborate science experiments; with the dripping rate controlled to slowly drip over the coffee grounds and slowly extracting the coffee.
Batch Brew
Batch brew machines are used to create larger amounts of coffee, in, well, batches. These are typically used by coffee shops or caterers – they’re also very similar to your home style percolator. Don’t be fooled, a batch brew or percolator can still create magnificent coffee (and we all like our coffee in different ways)
Cold Brew
Similar to coffee bags, cold brew is simply the process of soaking the coffee grounds in water; this can be done either via filtering using gravitational methods, or by suspending the coffee in a filter or bag in cold water.
Don’t want to brew it yourself? Find coffee shops that sell cold brew
Nitrous Coffee
Nitrous coffee takes cold brew to another level, by infusing nitrous into the coffee to super cool it and giving it a bubblier texture. Some say nitrous coffee can taste sweeter, creamier and richer.